A rod built for 1/2 oz. lures should work with an 8 wt. line.
Forum: rodboard

Spencer: I heartily agree. Years ago I built an 8.5' 2-piece hot-shot blank into a fly rod. It's a cannon with an 11wt. line.
Forum: rodboard

Carbon fiber and fiberglass are "families" of rod blank materials, not individuals. There is a significant difference between "S-glass" and "E-glass" blanks and between generations I - V of graphite blanks. Carbon can be made into a bullet-proof vest or a pencil. Glass can be more fragile than an eggshell or bulletproof. The size, density, and arrangement of constit
Forum: rodboard

I wonder if breakage is an issue in the rise of popularity of one piece rods?
Forum: rodboard

Today four-piece fly rods are by far the most popular, while one-piece casting and spinning rods enjoy increasing popularity. Is this because fly fishermen and their rods travel to distant fishing spots more often, or because one piece casting and spinning rods are much better at casting than multi-piece rods, which is not true of fly rods?
Forum: rodboard

Phil: After 60 years of experimentation I find joining rod sections from top to bottom far easier than from bottom to top. I have yet to meet an angler who actually tried the top-to-bottom sequence who disagrees. Sorta like doubling your fly line and threading the bend through the guide train is easier than threading the tippet through first.
Forum: rodboard

Phil: After 60 years of experimentation I find joining rod sections from top to bottom far easier than from bottom to top. I have yet to meet an angler who actually tried the top-to-bottom sequence who disagrees. Sorta like doubling your fly line and threading the bend through the guide train is easier than threading the tippet through first.
Forum: rodboard

To complicate matters, some people with large hands prefer small grips, while some people with small hands prefer large grips. Finding exactly what the user prefers (if, indeed, he knows?) and providing it is the main justification for having a custom rod built - and paying for it.
Forum: rodboard

To complicate matters, some people with large hands prefer small grips, while some people with small hands prefer large grips. Finding exactly what the user prefers (if, indeed, he knows?) and providing it is the main justification for having a custom rod built - and paying for it.
Forum: rodboard

Some people even put the two largest sections of a four-piece rod together first?
Forum: rodboard

I find the head of a common straight pin leaves a "dot" the right size. Just touch the head of the pin to the surface of the paint, and barely touch the painted pinhead to the surface of the blank. Don't try to adjust the size of the "dot" once you have applied it. Needless to say, the blank where the dot goes should be free of wax, polish, fingerprints, or anything else which
Forum: rodboard

Mark: I agree with your last post. The difference is probably close to immeasurable. However, my concern is in keeping with concerns over the weight of a layer of rod finish or 1/400th of an ounce difference in weight between two different brand size four guides.
Forum: rodboard

Highly priced custom rods (and even factory-made rods) have an "advantage" for some customers which is seldom mentioned: their high price. This enables the owner, like Minnie Pearl, to flaunt the cost of his fishing pole. Much of America's retail trade today is based upon this principle. The problem with custom-built rods is the most efficient and the most elegant are usually the least
Forum: rodboard

Sorry- I should have restricted my interest to the casting performance of graphite blanks. I always use a bobber or a flasher to set the hook while jigging with a rod through the ice, so blank "sensitivity" is not an issue and casting is not remotely an issue. Even a broken ice fishing jigging rod is no big deal to me, but the casting performance of a rod in open water does concern me.
Forum: rodboard

What guides does G. Loomis (Shimano) use now? For that matter, what materials does Van Stall (Zebco) use on their reels? As the Bard asked, "What's in a name?"
Forum: rodboard

I wasn't so concerned about a graphite rod breaking as I am curious if ambient temperature variations likely to be encountered by fishermen cause a significant difference in the flexibility of graphite blanks? One thing I discovered from my search is that materials engineers do use the term "flexibility" and calibrate it, but I did not see them using the terms "speed" or "
Forum: rodboard

Do extremes in ambient temperature have a significant effect upon the flexibility of graphite rod blanks? I tried a search but got lost quickly.
Forum: rodboard

Same with mono, which apparently absorbs water? Of course the stiffness of fluorocarbon and nylon monofilament varies a great deal with ambient temperature - the colder, the stiffer, and the stiffness of the line is the primary consideration for the optimal placement of guides. This is another reason why test casting for the best guide placement is so difficult, and another argument for adopting
Forum: rodboard

Take a look at Alan Hawks' review of the Fin-Nor "Lethal 100" spinning reel. He ranks it with reels costing over $700, which is about 700% more than the Lethal 100 costs.
Forum: rodboard

Perfect guide placement will vary with the line being used: with nylon and fluorocarbon the diameter and stiffness of the line make a difference, and braid will be be different too. If the customer always uses the same type, brand, and diameter of line it would be beneficial to set up the guide train for that specific line. If the customer uses lines of various types, diameters, and stiffness the
Forum: rodboard

The closer to the tip a rod bends the "faster" it is. As I understand it, the more the butt is cut off the closer to the tip the rod bends? It certainly will make the blank lighter - a lot lighter than removing the finish would.
Forum: rodboard

Herb: Then cut the butt of the blank back. That will make the the blank lighter and faster a LOT quicker.
Forum: rodboard

If you cut the rod tip back 1/2 inch it would lighten the blank more than removing the finish and also speed the bank up more. I doubt you would miss the half-inch in length, and it would save a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Forum: rodboard

You do NOT want a ten foot rod long rod to fight sharks weighing over 200 pounds. Leverage, you know.
Forum: rodboard

Try using a little spatula to apply epoxy. They are easy to use and apply epoxy more precisely than a brush. You can pick up an assortment of stainless made-in-Pakistan spatulas and "dental tools" in a flea market for a couple of bucks. They will outlive you and are a cinch to clean. You will find many other rod-building applications for these knock-off dental tools.
Forum: rodboard

Do not reduce the diameter of the "plug" end of the ferrule.
Forum: rodboard

I surf fish with bait for sharks in east central Florida. One size does not fit all. You do NOT need or want a rod as heavy as you specify if your target is black tip or spinners. Bulls and hammerheads are a new ball game.
Forum: rodboard

A Fin Nor offshore 6500 reel has one drawback for surf fishing: it is relatively heavy. Otherwise, it has an excellent drag, it is dang-near bomb-proof, and it sells at a fantastic price. If you want the inside info on surf reels ask an experienced and independent reel repairman. They know the glitzy junk from the real deal.
Forum: rodboard

You also might take a look at hot-shot blanks. They also have light tips and a ton of backbone.
Forum: rodboard

I have often fished an inlet to the sea for bull reds where a 5 knot tide is normal. I have seen more than one $100+ series 4500 reel trashed by a 45" redfish headed for the sea. The screwed-down drag held up, but the rest of the reel did not.
Forum: rodboard